Good Vibes Music & Wellness Retreat - Summer 2019

I’m very happy to announce our new wellness-focused summer retreat. Balance your mind and body in this full weekend immersion at our favourite bush location.
**The original date has been postponed. Stay tuned for the announcement of new dates**

Sessions

Good Vibes brings you a curated range of mind and body balancing workshops to get you back in groove with yourself. Our serene bush retreat offers drum classes for beginners to advanced levels plus Yoga, Meditation and Kalari for mixed levels.

Learning in this peaceful bush environment will do wonders for your overall well being. You’ll have a choice of a range of sessions. Start the day with Meditation and Yoga or branch into a groovy drumming classes and focus on traditional rhythms from West Africa. You’ll love the warrior energy of the arvo Kalari sessions too … there is something for everyone!

Drumming Sessions:
Simon and Bri will bring in the West African vitality with their uplifting workshops. You’ll have the choice of levels to make sure you learn to your capacity. Hone your technique, find a sweet rhythm pocket and build a groove with others as the weekend takes shape.

Yoga and Meditation:

Yoga Asana, meditation and pranayama for all levels and experience. We’ll specifically focus on ‘movement for the musician.’ These classes aim to be fun, seasonally aligned with Ayurvedic teachings and supportive of the drummer’s physical body and exertion throughout the weekend.

Designed specifically for drummers (and dancers!) We’ll be working with the core and upper body strength, whilst releasing tension throughout the arms, shoulders head and neck areas, perfect for Djembe and Dun Dun players!

Connecting with our inner rhythms in order to find our groove within the ensemble, will also be woven into the sessions. Live music to accompany the class, followed by a simple easy to follow meditation. Allowing a taste of quiet, stillness and peace (even if the mind is chatting away in the background!)

Kalari:
Kalaripayattu is an ancient spiritual technology. It is an embodied and organic practice, as when we move close to the earth, we draw energy which we can harness as a power to help us understand the harmony between the body, mind and spirit. Through engaging with ancient Kalari forms we can express ourselves with greater flexibility, strength and stamina

This workshop will explore:
– An introduction to Kalaripayattu, including warm ups and preparation for practice
– Kalari kicks and basic combinations
– Practice of the first Kalari salutation form – a prayer to 4 directions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJXpIl8ImAo

Location

Set in a peaceful valley, we’ll be completely surrounded by the pristine Great Otway National Park. At 90 minutes out of Melbourne, it’s far enough to feel like a real get away, but still an easy journey by car.

Sokil is a real get-away-from-it-all camp. We’ve been running our Camp here for years

Directions

Take the M1 heading West
Bypassing Geelong, this becomes the A1 (Princes Hwy)
Turn Left onto Cape Otway Rd
Continue through Moriac and Modewarre
Turn left at Wensleydale Station Rd. Wurdiboluc Reservoir will be on your right
Continue approximately 7kms, until the road turns to gravel
At the intersection, follow the road straight into the Great Otway National Park (do not turn left here into Gum flats road)
Continue on the gravel road, past Alsop Track
Turn left onto Breakfast Creek Rd (do not turn right onto Hammonds Track)
Continue 3.5km into the valley
Sokil’s gate is on the left – just over the small bridge!

3.45pm – 4.15pm : Final showcase of what was learned on the weekend (a short demonstration from the different groups).

Rates

Rates

Early bird Tuition & Saturday Accommodation………….. $195

Tuition & Saturday Accommodation………….. $225/$195 Conc

Friday Night Accommodation……………….. $40

Standard Day Rate……………………………….. $100/$90

Non – Participant weekend (includes Sat night)…………………….. $100/$90

Non – Participant day……………………………. $35

Drum Hire (booking required)……………….. $10

Family and group rates are available – please ask us for more information [email protected]

FAQs

What should I bring?
BYO food/drinks (Sokil has a large commercial kitchen with cutlery etc)
A drum if you have one – if not you can hire one for $10
Shoes to dance in
Yoga mat
Sleeping bag and pillow
Warm clothes as it may get cool at night.

I’m an absolute beginner at drumming, can I come along?
Sure! We welcome beginners and our sessions will suit you. It’s a great chance to mingle with those who have been drumming longer and pick up tips and tricks from peers

Are the Kalari and Yoga sessions strenuous?We will move at your pace. We understand that this may well be your first time so we will warm you up slowly and take time to develop our routine. All our teachers are highly qualified and know how to look after the full range of abilities and ages.

If I have injuries/health conditions can I participate?
You may be able to, but please inform the instructor of the details of your injuries/conditions prior to starting the class.

Simon Fraser
Simon has been drumming his heart out all his life. Starting with plastic drum-kits and pots n pans as a kid and then graduating to a drum kit, he’s played many styles of music and found his passion in West African rhythms. Annual trips to West Africa since the mid 1990’s have seen him collaborate with some of the regions’ great percussionists. Simon returns to the region every year in search of new music, running a Tour to Africa. His love and knowledge of rhythm translates to his teaching where he focuses on tapping into your creativity, dexterity, honouring tradition and having fun.
Simon has been curating workshops and retreats around the globe for 15 years now. From Victoria to Bali, Ghana and Burkina Faso, Simon has shared the music with thousands of aficionados, many of whose life’s have been transformed through their experiences – he believes that bringing mind and body into balance is the key to happiness.

Brianna Slattery
After 10 years of playing the piano, Brianna bought her first djembe at the age of 18 – and promptly fell in love with African drumming! This sparked an interest in all things percussive, which in turn led her to participate in African drumming, Brazilian percussion and body percussion workshops; become a facilitator of a drumming intervention/wellbeing program; and complete the L1, L2, & L3 facilitator training with African Drumming. As a primary school teacher, Brianna has been teaching drumming to school students for the past seven years. She is passionate about the use of the drum as a teaching tool, and is currently completing a Masters thesis on drumming and student engagement. Brianna believes that being a member of a drumming community has far reaching-benefits, including: enhancing musicality, building relationships, boosting confidence and improving general well being.

Carla Fraser
Ayurveda found it’s way into Carla’s life through her Yoga practice over 10 years ago. Since then, Carla has journeyed through various health challenges which she refers to as “gifts,” then triumphed them while delving into the philosophical and spiritual aspects of the Vedic traditions. These experiences have enlivened a passion for sharing Vedic knowledge, Yoga and Ayurveda to benefit and inspire others. An Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant, qualified Yoga Teacher (Ad.Dip.YT 350hr) and founder of The Nourishment Garden, Carla offers a variety of Ayurvedic treatments, Ayurvedic Consultations and private yoga classes in St Kilda, Melbourne.

Ramona Lalita
Ramona is a Kalari Practitioner and Naturopath. She began studying Kalari Healing and Martial Arts in 2009 in Australia. Since then she has made several trips to India to study and train with her teacher and Guru, Sat Guru Hanuman Das, the founder of the Kalariyil Dharmikam Ashram in Kerala. She is currently practicing and teaching key Kalaripayattu exercises, forms, open combat sequences and weapon forms. Developing focus in the mind and body, while building a strong foundation through warm ups and basic practices are integral to her training.
Originally from India, Ramona has lived, studied and worked in various countries such as Brazil, Singapore, India and Japan. Ramona is passionate about health and well-being, and employs Kalari in her personal life. She endeavours to help her clients and students gain equilibrium and harmony in their lives. Ramona sees Kalari as a multimodal healing system, and is a firm believer that using Kalari methods, one can synergize the body, mind and spirit.

Tickets

Please book in early to ensure your spot!

Family and group rates are available – please ask us for more info

Buy a day or weekend pass here
Add a drum hire or Friday night accommodation here